Leonardo DiCaprio, Bezos Earth Fund launch $200M project to save endangered species

Announced on Tuesday, the Phoenix Species Project starts with a $200 million commitment and is described as the largest single philanthropic initiative dedicated exclusively to recovering 100 critically endangered species across multiple countries and habitats.

The project will provide long-term funding for recovery efforts in 30 countries, supporting mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, invertebrates and plants. More than 100 local and international partners, including Indigenous Peoples, local communities, scientists and governments, will lead conservation work tailored to each species.

Recovery measures may include conservation breeding, habitat restoration, disease management, translocations and the control of invasive species. The initiative is being developed in collaboration with the IUCN Species Survival Commission, which will serve as its global scientific partner.

The initial funding includes $100 million from the Bezos Earth Fund and $100 million from Re:wild, with support from Leonardo DiCaprio, Age of Union and the Todd Graves Family Foundation. The funding is designed to support conservation efforts over multiple years, with progress tracked through population recovery and threat reduction.

DiCaprio said protecting species on the brink of extinction also helps safeguard the forests, wetlands, grasslands and oceans they depend on, adding that the initiative has the potential to reshape global conservation efforts and inspire wider investment in nature.

Among the first species supported by the project are Madagascar’s golden-crowned sifaka, the bowmouth guitarfish, South Africa’s fuzzy belly button succulent, the Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander in the United States, Mexico’s Charco Azul pupfish, and Australia’s night parrot.

The Phoenix Species Project also supports countries working toward Target 4 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which calls for halting species extinctions and improving the conservation status of endangered wildlife.

More than 31,000 of the nearly 176,000 species assessed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species are classified as Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Extinct in the Wild.

Organizers hope the initiative will encourage other philanthropic donors to join efforts to address the global biodiversity crisis.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the World Bank had approved financing for a major regional environmental project titled “Blueing the Caspian Sea: Building Capacities for Pollution Management and Biodiversity Conservation.”